So, I've just had an epic bacchanal. It started in the idyllic vineyards of Burgundy and ended with a long, liquid lunch at Deliplein in Rotterdam. You can read about my adventures in Beaune and Dijon in this blog post , and below we'll continue with Deliplein. This hip hangout in Katendrecht is not to be missed.
Be warned, it's a long read.
NOTK
The day starts at NOTK, the newest addition to Deliplein. Thomas Traa and Lukas Wiegman have just moved into the Kwiezien building, renovated the place, and are now fully up and running with their restaurant, wine bar, import company, and (online) wine shop. If you're thinking, "Lukas Wiegman is a familiar name," you're right. He won Sommelier of the Year this year and is going to the European Championships in Serbia. So, we're in the right place and choose the Riesling Spätlese Thornicher Ritsch 1994 from Weingut Hermann Ludes .
Weingut Hermann Ludes is located in the Mosel and has been run by Julien Ludes, the nephew of the founder, Hermann Ludes, since 2020. "All Ludes wines are time machines to a cooler world ," the website states. Of course, the world was certainly cooler in 1994, but still. Ludes uses old-school winemaking techniques and doesn't shy away from a little residual sugar. Neither do we, especially in combination with the sky-high acidity so characteristic of Mosel Riesling. The wine is perfectly balanced and tastes like all kinds of lemon preparations (from finely squeezed to lemon pie). And to think, it's already 30 years old. In short, a wonderful way to start the afternoon.
Then a wine appears that isn't on the menu. That can also happen at NOTK. It's Arnaud Baillot 's Savagnin from the Jura . Arnaud Baillot is imported by NOTK itself (as is Herman Ludes, by the way) and is based in Beaune. Together with his wife Laure, granddaughter of Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat in Chambolle-Musigny, Arnaud produces various cuvées in Burgundy and the Jura. Since 2017, they've been able to purchase a small plot of vineyard (vineyards are very expensive in Burgundy), but most of the grapes are purchased from contracted growers. In this case, they come from the Jura, where grapes were hard to come by in 2021 due to excessive frost . The wine needed some time in the glass, so you kept smelling it. We always found something new. Floral, apples, apricot and nectarine, nuts and a fine straw-like scent wafting through.
The Sailor and the Girl
We bid farewell to NOTK and settle down 100 meters further on the terrace of De Matroos en het Meisje. Here, our wine-loving hearts start beating faster again, because the wine list from the hip, cool Viking Taco de Vos is fantastic. We reset our palate with a sparkling wine, and not just any sparkling one: Chartogne-Taillet Heurtebise 2019. It's the first time I've had a Chartogne-Taillet champagne.
Champagne must be in this family's blood, as they've been involved in winemaking since 1490. Alexandre Chartogne, a native of Chartogne, has been at the helm since 2006, having learned the craft from a young age and also working at Anselme Selosse . Alexandre is a soil enthusiast and a few years ago discovered 17th-century cadastral maps in the family archives. Inspired by these old maps, he began classifying the different terroirs. Heurtebise, a 1.1-hectare plot, is planted with 83% Chardonnay, 12% Pinot Noir, and 5% Meunier. Only Chardonnay from sandstone soils is used for this cuvée.
The result is wonderfully rich and generous, with roasted hazelnuts on the one hand and tight, fine acidity on the other. White flowers, lemon peel, nuts, yellow apple. I also got slight sherry vibes, but initially thought my sherry fandom was influencing me. Until I read in my new favorite book , The New French Wine, that this wine does indeed sometimes have fino notes. Score.
We're continuing with the DD 2022 cuvée from Benedicte & Stéphane Tissot from the Jura. Tissot is practically a Jansen family from the Jura; there are numerous estates with this name. Not all Tissots are the same, so pay attention.
With their 50 hectares of vineyards, Benedicte & Stéphane Tissot are one of the region's leading winemakers, and they do so with great enthusiasm. Their vineyards are organic and biodynamic, with low yields per hectare , sometimes even less than 15 hl/ha. They harken back to old winemaking traditions, such as long skin maceration and amphora aging, but they also embrace new wine trends (single vineyard wines, low/no sulfites, etc.).
It all seems to come together in Cuvée DD, a blend of Poulsard, Trousseau, and Pinot Noir. Light-hearted, cheerful, incredibly drinkable, and surprisingly complex at the same time. A pure, refined glass of wine bursting with small red fruit, pomegranate seeds, and a hint of underlying Jura rusticity. Love it. I could drink this every day.
Bistrot Du Bac
Then it turns out a fellow WSET4 student is sitting on the terrace of Bistrot du Bac (diagonally across from De Matroos). Would we like a sip of Labet 's Savagnin ? Of course, more Jura is always better. Zappa Spruit's wine list is also impressive. Classic and creative. Last year, I was blown away by the 2021 Les Intilléres by Supply Royer from the Languedoc. A wine I hadn't heard of and, to be honest, would never choose—a Bourboulenc from the Languedoc—but one that has always stuck with me. Ultimate smoky. It reminded me of a Chenin Blanc from South Africa (like the one from David & Nadia, for example).
Time for a Keller break
Back to The Sailor and the Girl, where Taco happened to have a Keller Riesling Kabinet Limestone 2016 chilled. Who could say no to that?
"If I had to choose one wine to show how great dry German Riesling can be, I would choose a Keller Riesling. Those wines are the German Montrachet," Jancis Robinson once wrote. I haven't explored the Keller lineup that far yet, but I'll take Queen J. at her word. Klaus Peter Keller's wines, especially his GGs, are highly sought-after and expensive.
This Riesling Kabinett Limestone isn't a GG; the grapes come from various vineyards in Westhofen, including Kirchspiel (although it's a Grosse Lage, the grapes come from young vines). Just smelling the wine is a treat. It's citrus in all its glory: lime, lemon, grapefruit. It's salty, yet slightly savory, and deliciously drinkable thanks to the slight residual sweetness. Addictive.
Just one more then...
Against my better judgment, I ordered one more bottle: Pinot Noix from Daniël Twardowski from the Mosel region. Unfortunately, I don't have any vivid memories of it, except that we were all thrilled and the bottle quickly reached its bottom.
On to the Deliplein
Don't wait any longer and head to Deliplein for a full day of fun. You'll find NOTK at Delistraat 20, De Matroos en het Meisje at 52, and Bistrot du Bac at Sumatraweg 5.
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Domaine Si Tu Sais
A wine lover in Alsace